Last updated at 13:24, Wednesday, 12 August 2009

BASSENTHWAITE Lake was awash with sailing boats at the weekend as the Bass Week Regatta hit the water.

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One-hundred-and-twenty boats representing 46 different UK sailing clubs were contesting a four-race series sponsored by the nearby Pheasant Inn.

The entries were divided into classes or fleets starting the course at three-minute intervals.

Starting is an appropriate word for the first race on Saturday when the wind was, as last week, gusting to 40mph and nearly half the starters decided to retire or turned turtle during the course of it.

Saturday’s second race was only marginally less windy but, with ideal conditions on Sunday, everyone was able to get a result in their series.

In the first class to start, the fast handicap fleet, it was the local Bassenthwaite Sailing Club boats that dominated with the RS400s of Mark Somerville, of Carlisle, with Joe Roberts, of Harrogate, and Cockermouth’s Robin Dawson with Ian Smith, of High Harrington, taking the top positions and beating an ex-Olympic sailor into the bargain.

Neil Currie, of Cockermouth, and Ruth Critchley, of St Helens, ended in fifth and William Carruthers, of Thursby, with Lesley Drummond, of Lancaster, were sixth.

It was the other way around in the flying fifteen class with North East crews in the lead positions.

The leading Bass boat was Mike Moore, of Preston, and Sally Trone, of Settle, who were third and it was good to see Jonathan Denwood, of Carlisle, with Cockermouth’s Ian Campbell, who were racing on the lake for the first time in over 10 years, finishing sixth.

Bassenthwaite crew Phil and Naomi Smith, of Gateshead, took the trophy in the RS200 fleet. Dave and Lynn Lawson, of Whitehaven, did likewise in the GP14 class beating an ex-national champion into second.

Hugh Godfrey, of Whitehaven, with crew Rhonwen Bryce came fourth in the strong fleet, Bryce having travelled from her home in France to compete.

In the laser fleet Sam Hall, of Dean, was the only local entry and he finished the series in third behind two Lancashire boats while, in the medium handicap fleet, Mike Cowan, of Crosby, was sixth and Rory Yardley, of Raughton Head, seventh.

There was one Bassenthwaite entry in the 22-boat enterprise class - Mark Ninnim, of Tyneside, and Rob Smith, of Harrington, who finished third.

In the mirror fleet Mik Chappell, of Wigton, finished second while Cockermouth’s Ethan Dawson was third in the topper class and Joe Watkins, of Ullock, fourth in the slow handicap series.

First published at 19:28, Thursday, 06 August 2009
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk